David Byrne and All-Star Band Hit the Sweet Spot at Tribute to Nigerian Composer: Concert Review

Randall Michelson

The Bottom Line

A joyous celebration of William Onyeabor’s synth-driven African groove performed by an eclectic line-up featuring members of Hot Chip, Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem and Sinkane.

Venue

The Greek Theater
Los Angeles, CA
(May 8, 2014)

A joyous celebration of William Onyeabor’s synth-driven African groove performed by an eclectic line-up featuring members of Hot Chip, Bloc Party, LCD Soundsystem and Sinkane.

If you’ve given up on David Byrne because he won’t succumb to rock’s seemingly ubiquitous temptation to celebrate the past by bringing back the Talking Heads… well, it’s time to stop making sense.

Renaissance man Byrne, last seen at this very venue collaborating with alternative darling St. Vincent, returned to the Greek on a breezy spring night with his latest project, “Atomic Bomb: Who Is William Onyeabor?,” an all-star tribute to the work of a resurrected Nigerian synth-funk pioneer who made eight hard-to-find records from 1978 through 1985, and has apparently stopped making any music since, after declaring himself a born-again Christian.

Onyeabor is a bit of an enigmatic figure, some accounts claiming he studied cinematography in the Soviet Union, while others insist he was a lawyer with a degree from a university in Great Britain. Upon returning to Nigeria in the mid-‘70s, he started his own film company, Wilfilms, that never actually put out a movie, but soon became a wealthy businessman, thanks to several lucrative government contracts, enough to ensconce him in a crumbling palace in the jungle outside Enugu.

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An A&R exec from Byrne’s world music Luaka Bop label took four years to track down Onyeabor for permission to release last year’s compilation,World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? In the absence of the tribute’s subject, who doesn’t venture far from his home, an all-star band was organized, featuring Byrne, tenor sax star Joshua Redman, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke, LCD Soundsystem drummer Pat Mahoney and Beastie Boys synth player Money Mark, rounded out by Brooklyn world music group Sinkane’s Ahmed Gallab, and legendary Nigerian duo the Lijadu Sisters. That troupe, picking up other musicians in each city, have just completed a three-city tour that took them to BAM in New York, San Francisco’s Warfield Theater, and last night, the Greek.

Sporting the kind of red cowboy hat favored by the flamboyant Onyeabor, Byrne doesn’t even taken the stage until five songs in, with the charismatic Gallab leads the group through its paces on the opening “Body & Soul,” from the 1980 album of the same name by the Nigerian Igbo singer/songwriter, who tempered the tribal funk beat with space-age synthesizers (here played by a showboating Money Mark) that prefigured much of today’s EDM. It’s no surprise why Byrne was attracted to this sound – equal parts Baptist gospel preacher, square dance caller, EMD DJ, disco fever and irresistible, multi-leveled Afro-pop. Gallab then launches into the Marley-esque “Why Go to War,” a utopian theme that Onyeabor returns to frequently in his music.

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Hot Chip’s unlikely blue-eyed soul crooner Taylor saunters on to duet with Gallab on “Good Name,” then on “Atomic Bomb,” comically exchanges some sultry flirting with the Lijadus, resplendent in glittering purple and gold gowns, bringing to mind Woody Allen trading verses with the Supremes, the gurgling garage-band organ resembling nothing so much as the African version of “96 Tears.” “I’m gonna explode,” sings Taylor, and we’re suddenly caught up in the undulating beat until time stands still and we’re transported by the primal groove.

Byrne takes the stage for “Love Me Now,” a combination of the fundamentalist reverend of “Once in a Lifetime” and the guy leading a hoedown in True Stories, followed by Bloc Party singer Okereke, resplendent in an African dashiki, leads the band through a ska--flavored “Heaven & Hell,” complete with chunky horns, Gallab’s staccato piano riffs and a breathless Redman tenor sax solo which brings down the house.

The Lijadu Sisters take the stage for a two-song interlude, “Danger” and “Life’s Gone Down Low,” though their vocals were mixed a little too low to make the kind of impact their infectious energy deserved.

“Please tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me how I look,” gurgles Byrne, his suit and tie offering a Hank Williams Grand Ole Opry vibe in combination with his 10-gallon topper, teasing the Lijadu gals in “Fantastic Man,” as they answer, “You look so good, fantastic man,” like Billy Crystal channeling Ricardo Montalban on Saturday Night Live, the song spilling out into some weird mix of Tex-Mex, roller rink skating music and Latin dance rhythms.

Kele returns for a climactic “Love is Blind” that bring everyone together in a sacred, call-and-response benediction, the spiritual taking over as the music seeps into our collective soul, space and time suspended along with judgment as sheer momentum powers the undulating mass, who’ve been on their feet for the entire show. As Parliament-Funkadelic might’ve put it, “Free your mind and your ass will follow.”

The encore begins with the cathartic “Better Change Your Mind,” Byrne, Gallab and Okereke joining in on what amounts to a revival meeting, hands in the air, leading to the all-on-board closer, “Smooth & Good,” a soaring rouser that elicits a closing chant, of “higher, higher, higher, higher" that reverberates through the engaged crowd, Money Mark raising his portable keyboard over his head in triumph, the full group taking bows center-stage.

An exhilarating night of music that truly lifted us, and at least sonically answered the question, “Who is William Onyeabor?” with a resounding tribute that must have resonated across the globe to the man himself, ensconced somewhere back in his Nigerian homeland.

Set list

Body & Soul (Ahmed Gallab)
Why Go to War (Gallab)
Good Name (Ahmed & Alexis Taylor)
Atomic Bomb (Alexis and Lijadus Sisters)
Love Me Now (David Byrne)
Heaven & Hell (Kele Okereke)
Danger (Lijadus Sisters)
Life’s Gone Down Low” (Lijadus Sisters)
Fantastic Man (Byrne)
Love is Blind (Okereke)

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Better Change Your Mind (Byrne, Okereke, Gallab)
Smooth & Good (all)

Ed Sheeran, Paramore Lead Wango Tango 2014 Standouts (Concert Review)

Chris Godley

The Bottom Line

A marathon of solid performances, punctuated by stellar offerings from Ed Sheeran and Hayley Williams.

Venue

Stubhub Center, Los Angeles (May 10)

Iggy Azalea strutted, Ariana Grande sang and Adam Levine surprised during Sunday’s marathon show, while concertgoers drank the house dry.

Summer has officially arrived in Los Angeles, and with it comes deafening pop music filling the warm Saturday air.

Some 18,000 KIIS FM listeners flocked to Carson, Calif. on May 10 for Wango Tango, where families and friends of all walks of life joined together under the blazing SoCal sun to eat nachos, drink beer and hear their favorite radio hits come to life. For those brave enough to power through all 12 hours of live music, water was a must. Temps reached 73 degrees around noon (Wango Tango’s pre-show village kicked off at 10:30 am with artists including R5, GRL and Rixton), with not a cloud in the sky or a breeze through the open air concrete stadium.

Ryan Tedder seemed unfazed by the heat, donning a black leather jacket and Ray Bans for OneRepublic’s 5:20 p.m. set. The band was preceded on Wango’s main stage by The Chainsmokers (of “#Selfie” fan) and Kid Ink, but OneRepublic was the first act to deliver a steady stream of hits (and some serious musicianship), from “Secrets” to “Counting Stars.”

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With one radio smash to their name, A Great Big World kept their set to just two songs. But the duo did manage to lengthen their stage time due to one pregnant diva running late. Christina Aguilera didn’t make it to the stage until at least five painful minutes after she was introduced, leaving poor Ian Axel to make strained banter with the audience. When she finally did arrive, looking flawless in a baby bump-hugging little black dress, Aguilera struggled to find the words to describe her feelings about the song she was about to perform. Thankfully, all awkwardness was quickly put out of mind when the group launched into “Say Something,” delivering a powerhouse rendition of the ballad. It was worth the wait.

Rapper B.o.B. followed up with a rapid-fire nine-song set, performing “Magic,” “Nothin’ On You” and “So Good,” with snippets of “Price Tag,” “Killin’ It,” “Headband” and “Paranoid.” Bobby Ray received an assist from Priscilla on his current radio jam “John Doe,” but his delivery of “Airplanes” left something to be desired (namely: Hayley Williams, who was set to perform with her band Paramore later that evening). Before exiting the stage around 6:30 pm, B.o.B. offered up some valuable Wango Tango wisdom. “Don’t drink and drive,” he said. “Smoke and fly!”

Hopefully there were some designated drivers in the house, because before the night’s end the venue had run out of ice, Coca Cola, tequila and vodka. Said one bartender: “In 25 years of bar tending, I’ve never run out of that much product.”

Ariana Grande and her pipes (seriously, girl can saaang) upped the pop diva quotient, albeit briefly, with a black and white-themed performance of “Right There,” “The Way” and “Problems.” With her came a gaggle of backup dancers and Iggy Azalea, sauntering in like she owned the place. Cue Grande’s exit, while Azalea delivered her own summer anthem, “Fancy.” Azalea took care to introduce herself to the crowd, many of whom had likely sang along to her in their car but were surprised to see the blonde beauty in person. Her performance may have been par for the course, but audience members won’t soon forget her black and white checkered ensemble, highlighting her, ahem, assets.

Speaking of blondes … Adam Levine’s new hairdo made its big stage debut on Saturday, prompting some befuddled fans to take to Twitter with their reactions. As Wango Tango-goers feverishly hashtagged with the hopes of landing their message on the jumbo screens, one wrote: “#QuestionableDecisions “EyebrowsDontMatch #WhyAreYouBlond?” Another proclaimed that “#BlondesHaveMoreFun,” while yet another simply said “Adam take off ur shirt.”

More questionable than his hair was Levine’s decision to sing “Stereo Hearts” sans Travie McCoy. The singer even acknowledged to the audience that the song would require him to “pretend” he could rap, confessing, “I’m not saying I’m good at it.” With an arsenal of hits in their repertoire, couldn’t Levine have picked another song? (Answer: Yes.) Also, was McCoy busy? We suspect that if Levine had picked up a phone, the Gym Class Heroes frontman would have hopped a plane to L.A. in a heartbeat. The fans weren’t fully on-board either, barely singing along. “That’s not loud enough!” Levine screamed.

Otherwise, it was a solid set for the Los Angeles natives. “One More Night,” “This Love,” “Lucky Strike,” “Love Somebody,” “Moves Like Jagger” and “Pay Phone” were all strong choices for the show.

It’s worth noting that 2014 marked the 10th anniversary of both Maroon 5’s first Wango and Ryan Seacrest’s first time hosting. “Our first Wango was 2004,” Levine reminisced. “Half of you weren’t alive, so welcome.”

As Maroon 5 played into the sunset, Calvin Harris kicked off the night time festivities. Appropriate, considering the entire floor level was eager to wave their green glow sticks in the air. Harris was the second EDM act (behind The Chainsmokers) to hit the stage, but he wouldn’t be the last. Zedd also took to the turntables, while Tiesto nabbed the coveted show closing slot.

But it was Paramore that ruled under the moonlight. Opening with “Misery Business” at 8:10 pm, lead singer Williams pulled a teen girl on stage and handed over her bright yellow mic for the song’s bridge. Between bouncing and bobbing from one side of the stage to the other, the hyper energetic Williams left an indelible mark on the show with just four songs. “How many of you have never been to a Paramore show before?” she asked the audience, to a large number of cheers. “Welcome to the family,” she said. “You’re in, and you’re never getting out!” Somehow, those words felt truer than any other artist proclamation that night.

Williams and her cohorts performed “Ain’t It Fun,” “The Only Exception” and “Into You” before making room for Zedd — but Williams wasn’t done. The 25-year-old returned to the stage to lend her vocals to his hit “Stay the Night.”

As social media savvy kids peppered the jumbo screen with “Happy Mother’s Day” messages to their own moms, Shakira received an on-stage shoutout from the KIIS FM DJs before her own set. Presumably, one-year-old Milan was not in the audience. Wango Tango is no place for a baby.

The Colombian native killed it in the wardrobe department, rocking a shredded white tee with a jeweled bra underneath, a sparkly statement necklace and shredded denim pants, but her set left much to be desired. Opening with “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” The Voice coach launched into a snooze-worthy set of slow jams before closing out with “Hips Don’t Lie.” Come on, Shakira — where was “She Wolf,” “Whenever Wherever” or heck, even “Waka Waka”?

Then there was Ed Sheeran. The feisty Brit’s showcase was anything but slow, as he commanded the arena with just his guitar and a loop station on “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You,” “The A-Team,” “Lego House” and his The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug end credits song, “I See Fire.” Before finishing things off with his current single, “Sing,” he asked the audience to chime in. “If you don’t know the words, make them up,” he commanded. “If you do know them, sing along.” The crowd had no trouble getting in on the infectious, wordless chorus of “Ohs,” delivering every note even after Sheeran exited the stage. Concert organizers may not have saved the best for last, but at least he was second to last.

Quincy Jones Talks Discovering Oprah, Underpaying Spielberg, Hanging With Sinatra At CMW 2014

Quincy Jones needs no introduction, but if he did, where would you start? His work and friendships with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, and Ray Charles? How about Marvin Gaye, Sidney Poitier, Stevie Wonder, 2Pac and Will Smith?

Would you mention his astounding 27 Grammys or his even more astounding 79 nominations? Would you include his Emmy, the seven Oscars for which he's been nominated, or the one — the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award — which he won?

Any way you slice it, Quincy Jones is one of the most important figures in the history of popular music, a fact not lost on the scores of people who jam-packed Toronto's Marriott ballroom on May 10 to see the legend interviewed by Ross Porter of Jazz FM.91 as part of Canadian Music Week.

It’d be impossible to relate all of the stories that Jones told over the course of over an hour onstage, but here are some of the best anecdotes he shared with us at CMW 2014.

QUINCY JONES LOVES HIM SOME NIKKI YANOFSKY

Canadian jazz singer Nikki Yanofsky was referred to by Porter as Quincy Jones' "most recent discovery," and at one point Jones compared her ability to Ella Fitzgerald's. "Don’t fail to listen to her," Jones warned, "because this lady is just starting and she is just… I watched her last night and I see her growth, exponentially. It was just incredible."

Yanofsky, who was sitting directly in front of me, was in a semi-permanent state of cheering and blushing throughout this and other bits of the conversation. She was delightful.

"When I was studying in Paris with Nadia Boulanger," Jones continued, "she said something I'll never forget. She said 'Quincy, your music can never be more or less than you are as a human being.’ And Nikki is a great, great human being.”

QUINCY JONES IS YOUR DAD

From the same conversation about Yanofsky, Jones dropped an oldie but a goodie: "God gave you two ears and one mouth; you're supposed to listen twice as much as you talk."

ON NADIA BOULANGER, IGOR STRAVINSKY, AND STRENGTH

"Nadia Boulanger was Romanian, Russian, and French. The most astounding woman I ever met in my life. She was a mentor to Stravinsky, taught Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein. I met Stravinsky there when I was working with her in the 50s. What a lady! She was strong, really strong. She was the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic." He later added, "she said, 'I have to be careful with jazz musicians, Quincy, because you guys shack up with music first, and you record it and marry it later.'"

A HILARIOUS-SOUNDING THING ABOUT AN ALL-TIME LEGEND

"At that time, Lionel Hampton was bigger than Louis Armstrong — Louis Armstrong used to open for us."

ON ROCK AND ROLL'S ORIGINS

“I know it might seem that Bill Haley and Elvis Presley started rock and roll, but I'm telling you — and the Quarrymen — Louis Jordan and Lionel Hampton did that.”

ON WHY HE STOPPED PLAYING THE TRUMPET

“I stopped playing trumpet because I had to. I had two aneurysms. Serious brain operations. They cut my head open twice [in the mid 1970s]." This, he said, has interfered with his ability to go through metal detectors and customs.

ON MARLON BRANDO, STEVEN SPIELBERG, AND BEING UNDERESTIMATED

After his brain surgery, Jones says Brando sent him to his home on the island of Tetiaroa to convalesce.

"That was right after 'The Color Purple,' [which] was the first film I produced and it was a lot of work. I also discovered the power of being underestimated. It gives you strength. Everybody was saying 'what does this idiot Quincy Jones thinking about? He thinks he's going to get Steven Spielberg to direct his first movie. Steven was a $5.5 million director, 'E.T.,' 'Close Encounters,' everything you could imagine — 'Jaws' — and guess what? He did the movie for me for $84,000."

ON 'THE COLOR PURPLE'

"He said 'you've got to find somebody.' I was talking with [Spielberg] about this lady up in San Francisco working on the streets, doing these impersonations. Whoopi Goldberg. So I had her come to Amblin and [she did] seventeen vignettes from junkies to Valley Girls. Everything. And Steven was so in love.

You may remember there was another famous actress in that movie. Ever wonder how she got cast?

"I saw this lady on Chicago A.M. and said, ‘if she can act, that’s Sofia. It took me three days to find the name.” That name, of course, was Oprah Winfrey.

The Color Purple didn’t win any Oscars despite getting nominated for 11. Jones said it was because of an anti-Spielberg bias in Hollywood. “The Academy guys, 350 Academy guys, they were very jealous of Steven. They gave [Best Picture] to 'Gandhi' instead of 'E.T.,' they were very jealous of Steven and George Lucas, you know.”

ON FRANK SINATRA, AND WOMEN, AND GOODNESS

There was a long story about the first time Jones performed with Sinatra ("this man was from, like, another planet!"), but the best part was at its conclusion. There was a long pause, and then Jones said, breathlessly, "I cannot tell you the experiences we had. It was just un-be-lieve-a-ble."

Porter pushed: "Let’s talk a little bit about the ladies, what trouble did guys you get into with the ladies, you and Frank?” Jones replied with something unintelligible under his breath, which delighted the crowd. “We saw Ruth Roman, Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, Marilyn Monroe. And see, I didn't think Marilyn was that hot because I was big into Mamie Van Doren back then. She was Swedish and Cherokee, give me a break!”

“Ever seen anyone get on the bad side of Frank?” Porter asked. “Well, Frank was bipolar, you know,” said Jones. “And he loves you to pieces. One example: I went over in 1968 to do the score to 'The Italian Job' with Michael Caine, who happens to be my celestial twin — we were born on the same year, month, day, and hour — and he taught me Cockney and all this stuff. And my son was born that same year.

When I came back [there] was a letter from Sinatra and it said, “Dear QIII,” which is my son. “Let uncle Frank welcome you into this world with a college education, [and there was] a bond for his whole college education.”

Whole Lotta Love: Industry Likes What It Hears at Private Listening Session of Led Zeppelin Reissues

EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP

Jimmy Page treated about 40 people to tracks to be released June 3, saying of the legendary band: "We were able to reach the stratosphere."

Mike Nesmith appears on Portlandia

Mike & Micky Q&A at 2014 Monkees Convention

MickyDolenz said:

Mike Nesmith appears on Portlandia

Wow cool thanks for posting Mick. Do you know which season/episode it is?

'Searching for Sugar Man' Director Malik Bendjelloul Committed Suicide

PDT 5/14/2014 by The Associated Press

AP Images

Malik Bendjelloul

The Oscar-winning director, who was found dead on Tuesday, is said to have struggled with depression.

STOCKHOLM (AP) – The brother of Malik Bendjelloul has told a Swedish newspaper that the acclaimed filmmaker behind the documentary Searching for Sugar Man committed suicide.

Johar Bendjelloul told Swedish daily Aftonbladet on Wednesday that his younger brother had struggled with depression for a short period of time.

Bendjelloul was found dead in Stockholm on Tuesday.

The filmmaker rose to international fame in 2013 when his debut feature film, Searching for Sugar Man, won an Oscar for best documentary. The film tells the story of how Detroit-based singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, who had flopped in the United States, became a superstar in apartheid-era South Africa without knowing about it.

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Stevie Nicks Takes Home BMI Icon Award

Courtesy of BMI/WireImage

Adam Levine, Ryan Lewis, Jeff Bhasker and Ben Haggerty share Songwriter of the Year honors, Sony/ATV is the top publisher at 62nd Annual Pop Awards.

Stevie Nicks was the lady of honor at last night’s 62nd Annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, the bash at which the songwriters and music publishers behind the year’s most-performed pop songs are rewarded.

Adam Levine, Ryan Lewis, Jeff Bhasker and Ben Haggerty shared BMI’s Pop Songwriter of the Year title, with three songs apiece. Levine composed Maroon 5’s “Daylight,” “Love Somebody” and “One More Night.” Lewis and Haggerty co-wrote Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Can’t Hold Us,” “Same Love” and “Thrift Shop,” while Bhasker co-penned Fun.’s “Carry On” and “Some Nights,” as well as Pink’s “Just Give Me a Reason.”

Nicks joins the list of past honorees that includes Paul Simon, Carole King, David Foster, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, the Jacksons, Carlos Santana and Dolly Parton.

Jeremy Fraites and Wesley Schultz of the Lumineers picked up the BMI Pop Song of the Year honor for co-writing “Ho Hey.” With 15 songs among the year’s most performed, pub vet Martin Bandier’s Sony/ATV Publishing claimed the BMI Pop Publisher of the Year crystal.

The star-studded musical tribute to Nicks featured Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and Sheryl Crow (“Leather and Lace”), country music trio Lady Antebellum (“Rhiannon”), piano-playing chanteuse Vanessa Carlton (“Dreams”) and Shakira ( “Landslide”).

The 62nd Annual BMI Pop Awards were hosted by BMI vp, GM and writer/publisher relations Barbara Cane, BMI CEO Mike O’Neill, who will become head of the organization later this year, and outgoing president Del Bryant.

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Ludacris to Host 2014 Billboard Music Awards

7:45 AM PDT 5/14/2014 by Billboard Staff

Getty Images

Ludacris

The actor-rapper will emcee Sunday night's trophyfest, set to be broadcast live on ABC from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The 2014 Billboard Music Awards are getting a dose of Southern hospitality.

Hosting Sunday's annual music celebration on ABC is one of hip-hop's all-time most successful artists -- Ludacris.

Ludacris is the owner of 18 Hot 100 top 10 singles, the third-most of any hip-hop musician. He's also produced five No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and 29 top 10 singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Additionally, the Atlanta-based rapper boasts a considerable acting resume, making him an ideal choice to hold down hosting duties. He has appeared in acclaimed films like Hustle & Flow and Crash in addition to a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Ludacris is in the midst of filming for Fast & Furious 7 (his latest of several films for the series) and working on his studio album Ludaversal, due out this fall.

Stars who will present awards alongside Ludacris include Shania Twain, Phillip Phillips, Josh Groban, Lucy Hale and fun.'s Jack Antonoff. There will be performances from Shakira, 5 Seconds of Summer, Florida Georgia Line, Imagine Dragons, Jason Derulo, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Lorde, Luke Bryan, Miley Cyrus, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, OneRepublic, Pitbull and Ricky Martin.

Fan voting for the 2014 Milestone Award presented by Chevrolet will continue through the first two hours of the awards show, ending at 10 p.m. ET. To vote for finalists Ellie Goulding, OneRepublic or Underwood go to billboard.com/milestone.

The BBMAs, produced by Dick Clark Productions, will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET. Yahoo will be streaming this year's red carpet show. For additional information, visit billboardmusicawards.com or the Billboard hub at billboard.com/bbma.

Dick Clark Productions, The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard are all owned by affiliates of Guggenheim Partners.

Cannes: Michael Jackson Photoshoot Doc Hopes to Capture Buyers

Craig J Williams' behind-the-scenes look at Michael Jackson's final magazine cover-shoots is to be shopped to international buyers by L.A. based Lightning Entertainment.

JoeBala said:

Wow cool thanks for posting Mick. Do you know which season/episode it is?

It aired April 24, 2014 and is titled "3D Printer".

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Season four has even more guest stars than past seasons. Did any of the musicians who guested surprise you with their acting or comedy chops?
Carrie Brownstein: Certainly Mike Nesmith. He really is an intellectual, who brings a gravitas to the scene and has a wonderful, wry sense of humor. Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age is very kind and a true goofball. Jeff Tweedy was really funny, too.

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How did you get Mike Nesmith, who can be a bit of a recluse, back on TV?
Fred Armisen: Our director has a friend who has worked with him before, someone who has actually helped us write Portlandia. As soon as we found out this guy was friends with Mike, we thought, "We have to have him on the show." Over this last year, I've gotten to know him a little bit, and he's a really fascinating person who still continues to create things. He just did a recent tour with the Monkees where he was playing some of his songs, these really beautiful country-ish songs that remind me of California. As a kid, The Monkees was such a cool show. I had such a thrill saying, "OMG, I was in a sketch with one of the Monkees."

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What's his role on Portlandia?
FA: He plays the mayor's dad. Sometimes in Portland I'm like, "Who is funding this city?!" It's doing great, there's all these new shops, there's a synthesizer store. Where is this coming from? So we came up with a storyline that shows that there's a source of how it's all being funded, which involves the mayor's dad.

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Spin

Thanks Mick I'll search for it.

The Roots Introduce New CD With an Art Happening: Concert Review

The Bottom Line

A listening party so inflated only a masterpiece of a record could possibly justify it.

Venue

The Public Theater
New York City
(Tuesday, May 13, 2014)

The exclusive hip-hop event featured no live rapping and more prerecorded atmospherics than beats.

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Foo Fighters, HBO Team Up for Documentary Series

Greg Allen/Invision/AP

Frontman Dave Grohl directs the making of his band's forthcoming eighth album, which was recorded at famous studios in eight different cities with local legends sitting in.

[Edited 5/15/14 9:59am]

Peter Tork Talks About The Monkees' 2014 Tour and Reuniting with Old Friends

When Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and the late Davy Jones were cast as four struggling band members in the quirky sitcom The Monkees (1966-1968), few people expected they would still be rocking over four decades later. While all have enjoyed successful solo careers, this month, Tork, Dolenz, and Nesmith are hitting the road together, embracing their pop culture legacy, and giving fans a highly anticipated and much loved dose of The Monkees. In an exclusive for Parade.com, Peter Tork recently shared with me his thoughts on the The Monkees’ 2014 tour, the fans, and reuniting with his former bandmates.

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As the Monkees’ 2014 tour kicks off, what are you most looking forward to?
The usual: adoring fans, listening to those other two sing (Dolenz and Nesmith), getting to play in front of… did I mention adoring fans? Enjoying the scenery on the road, not having to schlep my own gear… like that.

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What is your favorite song that you’ll be performing?
I expect it’ll be “Shades of Gray” this time, because I like the song a lot and it’ll be an addition to the set list this time out. My favorite Monkees hit has always been “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” and my favorite Monkees music overall has always been “Riu Chiu.”

(Michael Ochs Archives)

Unlike your first round of concerts with screaming teens, you now have an adoring multigenerational fan base. Those original teens have grown up and introduced the Monkees to their kids and grandkids—who have also embraced you. What is that like?
It’s extraordinarily gratifying. One of the things about the Monkees TV show was that, since there were no senior adult figures, the kids were able to imagine getting along in life with just their peers to help and be helped by. I believe it was an important message for the times, and remains so to this day.

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I know these tours must be marked by reflection and sadness given the passing of your dear friend Davy Jones. Is there a special part of the concert that makes you feel especially connected to Davy?

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Just about the first thing I did when I heard that David had passed was to play “Daydream Believer” on the piano, but we don’t sing that song anymore; how could we? We have someone from the audience come up to sing it for us. That’s our remembrance.

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Decades have passed since your first tour and you’ve all traveled separate paths—raising families and building successful careers beyond the Monkees. Does that make the reunion tour almost like a personal reunion for you and your bandmates?
Yes, it does. It was a total treat the first time I listened to Michael sing the songs he sang back when in the same voice he had, and Micky remains one of the best pop singers of all time, and it does take me back to the times we had together—pleasant memories indeed!

Original Judas Priest Guitarist Ernie Chataway Dies of Cancer

by Nick DeRiso May 14, 2014 10:55 AM

You probably recall this Grammy winner’s debut album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby (1987). Over a decade ago, he officially changed his name after an epiphany. Now, the 52-year-old husband and father calls Italy home, but he hasn’t stopped creating music. JET caught up with the spirited artist.

JET: What sparked your name change? Is it a different language and does it have a translation?

Sananda Maitreya: What led to the name Sananda Maitreya was a very bold leap of faith. But it isn’t actually that bold when the house is on fire, and you have no choice but to jump if you want to survive. You may come up limping, but you did survive the fire. As far as what it means, apparently, quite a few things. But to me, it simply means, “thank God for my new home.” It is a name in the Sanskrit language connected to God and I needed something heavy, you dig?

JET: Your website mentions that your music is Post Millennium Rock. How would you describe that?

SM: The lazy beauty of the situation as it unfolds itself; Post Millennium Rock (PMR) is an ongoing process and will continue to reveal itself as it goes. Soul music died when soul music lost the debate on its own telling and had to settle for someone else’s idea of what its limits should be. All music dies in someone else’s hands. For sure, it is my opportunity to allow for the existence of a music that is the amalgamated extract of all of what has influenced my varied blood. There is also extant in the idea the notion that perhaps African-Americans are ready to assume their own responsibility for the definitions of what being that means to them, and are willing to stop listening to counter-programming from sources afraid, as always, of their power to reinvent themselves and their lives. We are transformers and that is why the law is always focused on containing our manifestations. And PMR is not a racist claim. Just come and get to this!

JET: Has your musical style changed since you first came onto the scene in the late ’80s?

SM: I never had a “style.” I had a dream. Styles will kill you faster than miles! What there is in me makes me what I am, grows, and follows its interest. I trust in the sensibility that God gave to me. I am not a scientist, I am an artist. This means that I am not obliged to follow formula, but grace and whatever useful shadows I can chase. I write songs, not styles. I am neither a brain surgeon nor a building inspector. I am not asked to follow a schematic or a code. I am only asked to maintain interest in what I do, if I expect to interest others.

JET: Growing up, who were your musical influences?

SM: From the beginning: The Beatles, Motown, Stax, The Stones, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, The Who, Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Mahalia Jackson, Shirley Caesar, Jimi Hendrix, Coltrane, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Wilson Pickett, The Jackson 5, Maria Callas, Dionne Warwick, Led Zeppelin, Cream, my mom and many others.

JET: When did you first realize that you wanted to become an entertainer?

SM: At the age of 2, upon hearing the music of the Beatles. I can also remember being in love with the song “Poison Ivy” by the Coasters. It was in the air, and I caught the spirit. Though much later, the idea of entertaining as first priority was replaced by the need to create and explore, in taking the spirit deeper and wider. Art has taxes, too.

JET: Where do you find inspiration?
SM: Inspiration comes from all places and all angles and can come at any time. It can come from everyday observation and direct communication with your environment. It can come from the angels, the trees, nature, your family, dreams and your imagination. The point is to be available to good ideas. And any idea that engages you and moves you forward is a good idea. Instruments themselves can inspire; it is always nice to keep a few around! And good eating and wine!

JET: As a father, what life lessons are you making sure to impart?

SM: Pay attention, love your life and beware of thieves.

JET: What about Italy, or Europe as a whole, do you prefer in terms of your career?

SM: I moved to the Old Country in the early 2000s. Europe is often less moved by what a thing is branded, as by what it delivers. So, you don’t necessarily have to be your last thing if your current thing amuses. This provides more creative space in which to be inspired. The deal is, you can do what you dare as long as it works! There is also a well-grown intellectual aspect of musical appreciation here. I prefer that environment for my work; it allows for growth and, in fact, demands it. The American culture respects little that is not about money first, second and last, and will resent what wills to be about more. In Europe, art is respected as a cultural necessity and is adjunct to balanced living and the acknowledgment that artists get is the type normally reserved in American culture for doctors and judges.

JET: What’s your latest album?

SM: My new project is The Rise of the Zugebrian Time Lords. They are the mortal enemies of The Zooathalon. This is a battle for the soul of Zooathalon. The whole cosmic battle takes place in a snow globe, and things get really shaken up. It’s a fun project for me and, as usual, we’ve presented the album in chapters on my website, sanandamaitreya.com. And hope that variously, it amuses and entertains.

Paul McCartney Cancels Two Shows in Tokyo

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Paul McCartney

He said of the nixed shows, "I was really hoping that I'd be feeling better today. I'm so disappointed and sorry to be letting my fans down."

Billboard Music Awards 2014: 10 Things Seen and Heard Backstage

Carrie Underwood brainstorms collaborations, L.A. Reid speaks on releasing a second Michael Jackson single, Ludacris and Josh Groban tease "Rising Star."

Epic Records chairman L.A. Reid said the BBMA premiere of Michael Jackson's "Slave to the Rhythm" did not necessarily mean it would be the follow-up single to "Love Never Felt So Good." "It's certainly one of the songs (being considered)," Reid said, noting they would be studying feedback from Sunday's performance. "We pick the first single; fans pick the second."

PHOTOS: Billboard Music Awards 2014: The Winners

Jackie Jackson started to tear up as he recalled watching "Slave to the Rhythm" in the audience at the MGM Grand Arena. "When he started walking and dancing, I was teary-eyed," he said as he hugged the choreographers Rich and Tone Talauega. "It's hard to please Michael's fans and Michael... I'm telling you it's amazing."

Florida Georgia Line is halfway through writing and selecting songs for their second Republic Nashville album. They figure it will be ready for release in October. Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley threw out a few names of collaborators from the hip-hop and pop world they would like to work with -- Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Rihanna. "Every genre is filled with people getting out of the box," Hubbard said. "For us, it's a cool spot to be in, to be in country and bring pop and hip-hop together. Maybe someday there won't be genres, there'll just be music."

Carrie Underwood seconded FGL's motion, suggesting that she is up for any sort of collaboration with another woman. "I'm all about female power, Underwood said an hour after performing "Somethin' Bad" with Miranda Lambert, noting she would be open to working with Shakira, for example. "I'm a lover of music and so many people don't listen to just one type of music."

Luke Bryan naturally favored the Lambert-Underwood duet but had complimentary words for numerous performances. "Imagine Dragons, the things they do rhythmically, I thought, was amazing. I love 'Talk Dirty' and seeing Snoop and 2 Chainz, that stuff's fun to me. Ariana Grande -- I got in a little trouble for a picture I tweeted, but she's cute as pie and sings her tail off. Any time you're in a room with Jennifer Lopez it's exciting. Seeing John Legend, he's the missing link in that style," he said, mentioning Frank Sinatra and that people are foolish to suggest no one croons like that any more. "Your iconic figure is right there playing piano for you. He's smooth. It's perfect."

PHOTOS: Billboard Music Awards 2014: The Show's Best Moments

Host Ludacris came backstage a half-hour into the show to discuss the live summer singing competition he will appear on, Rising Star. "The reason I signed on," he said of the ABC show that premieres June 22, "is the future has [arrived] prematurely. People at home are the judges... they have the opportunity to make somebody a star." Voting from home is done via an app that he says he has been assured will not malfunction. "It continues to blow my mind." The other members of the team from Rising Star -- host Josh Groban and experts Brad Paisley and Kesha -- came backstage to pitch the show's concept, though they could not provide many details on how the voting will work. "It's very very new technology," Groban said, "and [the experts'] job is really critiquing and giving advice and they'll have a vote." The show will be taped through August. "We only have a certain amount of say-so," Ludacris said, "and that creates great entertainment."

"I'm a film nerd," violinist Lindsey Stirling said, explaining how she made such professional looking videos to accompany her classical-electronica music. "When I was in college I went to film school and when no label wanted to sign me I knew how to direct a film, how to location scout, how to edit. All I had to do hire was a cinematographer and I had friends do that. I still direct or co-direct and I still edit."

The dancers who accompanied the Michael Jackson hologram performance were ecstatic when they returned to their dressing room. Hoots and hollers filled the hallways as Shakira made her way backstage for photos. "Let's do it again," one dancer shouted, which his mates greeted with more hearty cheers.

PHOTOS: Billboard Music Awards 2014: Music’s Biggest Stars Dazzle on the Red Carpet

Jason Derulo should receive an honorary BBMA for all the travel he has done to make his appearance happen. Early Friday morning he left Chicago to make it to Las Vegas for an 11:30 a.m. rehearsal from which he immediately left for a show in Minneapolis. Saturday he was in Milwaukee, after which he flew to Vegas to perform with 2 Chainz and Snoop Dogg. He added about 4,600 miles to his frequent flier accounts. His next flight, though, is to France where he will perform at a party at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20.

The shortest commute belonged to Imagine Dragons who are working on their second album in Las Vegas in a house they have turned into a recording studio. "We hopped on the 215 and drove over here," said lead singer Dan Reynolds. "A lot of people are complaining backstage about the heat. This is sweater weather."

Sammy Davis Jr.’s Daughter Chronicles Entertainment Legend’s Life In New Book

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — The late Sammy Davis Jr.’s daughter, Tracey Davis, has just released an intimate memoir on the entertainment legend’s story, featuring rare family photos and conversations between the two.

In “A Personal Journey with My Father,” Tracey Davis and Nina Bunche Pierce give fans and readers a personal history of one of the original members of the “Rat Pack.”

Nicknamed “Mr. Show Business,” Davis was a consummate performer who sang, danced and acted for more than six decades.

Sammy Davis, Jr. holds daughter Tracey in a family picture taken in 1962.

Davis’ career took off in the 1940s by virtue of his determination, talent and the support of friends like Frank Sinatra.

His daughter touches on Davis’ friendship with Sinatra, who stood by Davis when he married Swedish actress May Britt. It was an interracial union that, at the time, was illegal in 31 states. The couple endured an onslaught of negative press and, even, death threats.

The book chronicles Davis’s adventures through the Rat Pack era, and the extraordinary obstacles he overcame to become an entertainment legend who packed in more than 40 albums, seven Broadway shows, 23 films, and countless nightclub and concert performances.

NPR Interview: http://www.npr.org/2014/0...rs-stories

Rare Interview Bill Boggs Promoting his Auto-Biography:

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Daughter Tracy. Her daughter(20ish) is stunning and a singer, but could not find a pic online.

This was her first book from the 90's:

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Tracey Davis lovingly honors father, Sammy Davis Jr.

“It’s been a rough day … a little up and down,” admitted Tracey Davis, her eyes welling slightly with tears as she spoke to a gathered group last night at Larry Edmunds Bookshop about her new book “Sammy Davis, Jr.: A Perso... My Father.”

Her high emotion was somewhat atypical for an author promoting a handsome photo-filled coffee-table volume that commemorates one of the most versatile and prodigious of American entertainers.

But there was a reason. The date marked the 24th anniversary of Davis, Jr.’s death in 1990. “It was a difficult day,” remarked the author, “but a good day.”

Gesturing to two of her children, Sam and Montana, Davis Jr.’s grandkids, who accompanied their Mom for the book talk, she smiled, “We [three] drank a little toast to my Dad.”

In a free-associating presentation of scattered, sporadic and heartfelt memories, Davis dropped in scant autobiographical details. “We lived in Beverly Hills. Then we moved to New York for “Golden Boy” [circa 1964] and then back to California, mostly in Lake Tahoe. But we spent a lot of time in Vegas.” A show-biz kid-hood marked by all the “right” addresses.

Childhood memories included some rare and heady stuff. Like waking at wee hours to find a Rat Pack convention in the living room.

“Frank and Dean would come over and play cards early in the morning. I would see them smoking, playing cards and having fun. Soon the sun would come up.”

Then came happy times: “My dad would cook me breakfast. He would make me smothered pork chops. And I got to drink a Coke.” This, Davis remembered, “made my mother so mad.”

The marriage to Swedish actress May Britt ended in 1968, but it was “a good divorce.”

“My mother was the love of my Dad’s life. She came in [to be with him] towards the end. She adored my dad. I never heard a bad word from her about him. She always kept the door open for us to visit him.”

And Sinatra? What role did he play?

“They were best friends. They had some rough patches. Like when my Dad decided drugs would be cool and Frank didn’t like that. They had a good working relationship and were a very good act. Each had his own thunder. They were a good recipe together. And nothing against Frank, but my Dad was the only one to play piano, guitar, trumpet, tap dance, do impressions and sing.”

In her opinion, was Davis, Jr. more the singer … or the dancer? “He was the dancer who happened to sing,” parsed his daughter. “He was a burst dancer. He knew when to stand still and when to move.

“He came alive on stage with an orchestra and microphone. He adored what he did. When you went to his show, you were in for a treat. He felt lucky in life despite all the indignities he endured. He wasn’t bitter; he had a happy soul. He was a funny and happy person. He could be a goofball.,” she shared with a smile.

“And talking about my Dad makes me happy.”

Counting Crows Sign With Capitol Records for New Studio Album

Danny Clinch/Capitol Records

The band’s release is first for a major label since 2008's "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings."

Counting Crows have signed a recording deal with Capitol Records for the fall release of their forthcoming studio album, Somewhere Under Wonderland, it was announced Monday by Capitol Music Group chairman/CEO Steve Barnett. It will be the band’s seventh studio album and first of original material for a major label since Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings in 2008 on Geffen. The group released an album of cover songs, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation), on Cooking Vinyl in April 2012.

The band appeared on Monday's episode of NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers to mark the announcement and perform the hit “Round Here.”

PHOTOS: Capitol Records Building: Hollywood's Iconic Tower Gets Transformed

“I'm happy to announce that the new Counting Crows album will be coming out this Fall on Capitol Records!!!” said the band’s Adam Duritz. “Just like The Beatles!!!”

Barnett commented, “It’s not surprising that Counting Crows have built and maintained such a successful career for more than 20 years. The solid bond between the band and their audience has been forged through their great recordings and exciting live performances, and that relationship will continue with the release of Somewhere Under Wonderland and their forthcoming tour.”

Counting Crows -- also including drummer Jim Bogios, guitarists David Bryson, David Immergluck and Dan Vickrey, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham and bassist Millard Powers -- sold more than 20 million albums worldwide after exploding onto the music scene with the multiplatinum breakout album August and Everything After in 1993.

STORY: Counting Crows' Adam Duritz Mourns Lost Album Tapes: 'It's Disgusting'

Consistently ranked as one of the top live bands on the touring circuit, Counting Crows can be seen this summer on the North American leg of their major worldwide tour, which kicks off June 11 in Tampa, Fla. The band will travel through major markets, including their hometown of Berkeley, Calif., before concluding the tour in Los Angeles at the historic Greek Theatre on Aug. 17.

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Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson To Get AFI Honorary Degrees

9:00 AM PDT 5/19/2014 by Gregg Kilday

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Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees will be bestowed on the screenwriter and the actress at the AFI Conservatory's commencement ceremony on June 11.

The American Film Institute will confer honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees on screenwriter Robert Towne and actress Cicely Tyson at the AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony on June 11 at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

Both Towne and Tyson will be recognized for their “contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image.”

Robert Towne is a four-time Academy Award nominee and Oscar winner for his screenplay for 1974’s Chinatown. His screenwriting credits also include The Last Detail, Shampoo, Days of Thunder, The Firm and 1996’s Mission: Impossible and 2000’s Mission: Impossible II. Towne, who is a consulting producer on the final season of Mad Men, has also directed four films based on his screenplays: Personal Best, Tequila Sunrise, Without Limits and Ask the Dust.

Tyson received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for her performance in 1972’s Sounder and has won Primetime Emmys for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. She has appeared in eight Broadway plays, most recently starring in The Trip to Bountiful, for which she received the Tony for best actress in 2013. Her film credits also include Fried Green Tomatoes and The Help. An 1977 alumna of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, she directed the short film Save Me a Place at Forest Lawn, and she also served on the AFI Board of Trustees from 1973 to 1978.

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Mick Jagger Is a Great-Grandfather

9:06 AM PDT 5/19/2014 by THR Staff

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Mick Jagger

His granddaughter Assisi gave birth to a baby girl.

The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is a great-grandfather.

His 21-year-old granddaughter Assisi -- the daughter of his daughter Jade, with ex-wife Bianca Jagger -- gave birth to a baby girl with her boyfriend, chef Alex Key, 25, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

PHOTOS: Mick Jagger at 70... the Years

Assisi previously told Hello! magazine that Jagger, 70, was pleased when she told him the news of her pregnancy: "He said, 'Well done.' "

She added: "I imagine it's nice to be a great-granddad, although I'm not sure he likes the idea of getting old, or being called one. I call him Mick -- I wouldn't start calling him Grandpa."

(Jade, 42, is also expecting this month; she's due with her third child with graphic designer husband Adrian Fillary.)

STORY: Mick Jagger-Produc...Exclusive)

The news comes two months after Jagger's longtime girlfriend, fashion designer L'Wren Scott, committed suicide.

Following the tragedy, the Rolling Stones postponed their "14 on Tour" concert dates in Australia and New Zealand. The group is currently gearing up to resume its tour May 26 in Oslo, Norway.

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Remembering Cinematographer Gordon Willis, Who 'Changed the Way Movies Look'

2:08 PM PDT 5/19/2014 by Carolyn Giardina

UPDATED: Willis photographed Francis Ford Coppola’s "The Godfather" trilogy and Woody Allen’s "Annie Hall."

Everett Collection

Fellow cinematographers and the Hollywood community are remembering the life and visual style of legendary director of photography Gordon Willis, whose credits include Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy and Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. Willis died May 18 in North Falmouth, Mass., due to complications from cancer. He was 82.

"Gordon was one of the absolute giants,” said American Society of Cinematographers president Richard Crudo. “He not only changed the way movies look, he changed the way the world looks at movies. With the release of The Godfather in 1972, he made everything we now accept as superlative cinematography possible. His further achievements were equally remarkable and his influence over subsequent generations of cinematographers will continue for all time. He will be sorely missed."

"There is no greater influence or inspiration in my life as a cinematographer than that of Gordon Willis, ASC," Oscar winning cinematographer turned director Wally Pfister told The Hollywood Reporter. "His exceptionally bold lighting choices. The careful composition and movement of his camera. His choice of intelligent and thought provoking material and the Directors he collaborated with. Gordon has left us with an incredible body of work that will live on to inspire filmmakers and audiences while acting as a reminder of the critical role dramatic lighting plays in guiding a narrative to its highest visual level. Oh yes, and he was a New Yorker too."

"I had the good fortune of meeting Gordon and working with him every day for one year while I was an assistant cameraman in the early 1960s," Owen Roizman (The Exorcist, The French Connection),a recipient of the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award, told THR. "It was a time that I cherish with fond memories. I learned many things from Gordon, both professionally and personally. All cinematographers owe him a great debt of gratitude for his teaching us to overcome our fears and be willing to take chances. He was a true pioneer, and we all learned new ways to see and practice our cinematography. You will find samples of his philosophies in so many people's work even today, which is a great tribute to his innovativeness, boldness, and artistry. He truly shot from his heart, and tossed aside any heretofore accepted rules. One of the reasons he was able to do this was because he had mastered his craft, which allowed him to practice his art. We will all miss him very much."

Industry vet Bob Fisher wrote the following about Willis, as part of an article that appeared in American Cinemategrapher in 1998, the year Willis received the ASC's Lifetime Achievement Award: “Willis pioneered such visual storytelling techniques as low-key lighting to establish moods. He allowed windows to blow out, lights to flare, and he underexposed film and used forced processing to alter the look and mood of scenes.

“Willis was on the leading edge of a New Wave of cinematographers who were changing the art form in radical ways. In The Godfather, he selectively masked Marlon Brando's eyes to conceal his thoughts from the audience.”

In that article, Willis is quoted as saying, "I still can't believe the reactions. People said, 'You can't see his eyes (Brando's).' Well, you didn't see his eyes in 10 percent of the movie, and there was a reason why. I remember asking, 'Why do you have to see his eyes in that scene? Based on what?' Do you know what the answer was? 'That's the way it was done in Hollywood.' That's not a good enough reason. There were times when we didn't want the audience to see what was going on in there (Brando's eyes), and then suddenly (snaps his fingers), you let them see into his soul for a while."

Reflecting this approach, fellow cinematographer Conrad Hall, gave Willis the nickname "The Prince of Darkness."

Said Stephen Pizzello, editor-in-chief and publisher of American Cinematographer, who is completing work on a book collaboration with Willis: “If there were a Mount Rushmore for cinematographers, Gordon’s features would surely be chiseled into the rock face. I speak to cinematographers working at every level nearly every day, and his name is always mentioned in any discussion of the all-time greats. His signature style — tableau compositions and moody, evocative lighting that often flirted with the dark edge of the exposure curve — was controversial in Gordon’s heyday, but became and remains a key influence on many top cinematographers. His peers regarded him with awe, and his legacy as one of Hollywood’s greatest cameramen is secure.”

PIzzello shared the following quotes from Willis, which will appear in the upcoming book: “I remember shooting the tests of Brando. We put him at a table and I used overhead lighting to make his makeup work. That’s how that whole lighting strategy evolved: sometimes you make decisions in order to make a particular character or setting work. In retrospect, you can romanticize your reasons for doing something, but the bottom line is that I made a decision to light Marlon in a manner that would define his character. Of course, I also had to make the whole movie work that way. The choice was, ‘Okay, I think this lighting will work really well for him, and it will work for the movie.’ Overhead lighting was not a new idea, but it was a new idea to extend it for an entire movie, on everyone and everything. The basis for that approach, though, was to fashion Marlon into Don Corleone.

“Francis and I did have a lot of disagreements while we were shooting the movie, but if it weren’t for him and his vision of what the movie should be, it never would have happened at the right level. He deserves the same amount of credit for Part II, although we had no encumbrances on the sequel — far from it. After the success of The Godfather all of the pressure was swept out the back door, so the second movie was a lot easier to deal with.”

In addition to Coppola’s Godfather trilogy, Willis’ extensive credit list includes a number of Woody Allen comedies, including Annie Hall, Manhattan, Zelig, Broadway Danny Rose and The Purple Rose of Cairo; and work with director Alan Pakula, including Klute, The Parallax View and All the President’s Men.

In 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Willis an honorary Academy Award. He had previously received Oscar nominations for Zelig and The Godfather Part III.

Iggy Azalea Signs to Island Def Jam

By Erika Ramirez, N.Y. | April 23, 2013 6:46 PM EDT

Iggy Azalea has had her fair share of label drama. The Australian-born rapper signed to Interscope last year but parted ways after she and the label didn't see eye-to-eye on her management deal with T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint.

All the while, Iggy has continued to garner buzz, recently debuting her video for her "Work" single. The video has over 6 million views on VEVO.

Today (April 23), Iggy Azalea took to Twitter to announce her signing with Island Def Jam USA. She's also signed to Mercury UK.

“We are beyond proud and excited to welcome Iggy to the Island Def Jam family,” Island Records president David Massey said in a statement. “Iggy has created a massive buzz and rightfully so: she’s incredibly talented, she’s focused, driven, and has great creative tastes and instincts. She is nothing short of an international star, and the team here -- including Steve Bartels, Chris Anokute, Karen Kwak, our chairman Barry Weiss and myself -- are thrilled she’s chosen Island Records as her U.S. home.”

Azalea shared her excitement and clarifies that she is still a part of the Grand Hustle family. "I am elated to be a part of the Island Def Jam family!” Iggy Azalea says. “After speaking in depth with David, Steve and Chris, it became clear that Island Records was attuned to the type of artist I am. They are a great addition to my UK team. Along with T.I. and the Grand Hustle family, I couldn't have asked for a more understanding and aspirational group of people to work with."

Azalea will release her major label debut, "The New Classic," later this year on Island Records.

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She’s white, she’s blonde, she’s Australian, she models, and she raps like she grew up in an Atlanta trap. Like it or not, Iggy Azalea has planted her Louboutins in American hip-hop and has no intention of going back to the Land Down Under.

Midsummer heat can make a person do strange things, and at Hollywood’s Conway Recording Studios in late July, Iggy Azalea is ready to get into some “weird shit.” Having already turned in conventional, label-pleasing hip-hop and hip-pop songs for The New Classic, her debut album for UK-based Mercury Records (distributed in the States by Island Def Jam), the 23-year-old rapper is now experimenting with unexpected sounds that would have freaked out her label bosses.

Today she’s recording a track with moombahton, trap, and dubstep producer Bro Safari, a.k.a. Knick (Nick Weiller) from the drum-and-bass outfit Evol Intent, who previously worked with Iggy on her 2012 mixtape TrapGold. He’s delivered a left-of-center beat that keeps speeding up. Iggy, dressed for comfort in Nike running shoes, gray-and-white printed leggings, and a vintage L.A. Raiders jersey, says the music makes her envision monkeys rapping in the jungle. “Weird shit” indeed.

On the hook to “Work,” the album’s infectious and decidedly less weird first single, Iggy says she’s “working on my sheeeeit,” in the divisive southern U.S. accent she adopts when rapping. It’s clear from her discography that the tall blonde with fair skin and model looks is still evolving and finding herself as an artist. From her sample-heavy 2011 mixtape debut, Ignorant Art, to TrapGold and her 2012 mainstream rap EP, Glory, she’s popped a lot of shit but not revealed much about herself on songs. Although she’s candid in interviews, “Work,” a celebration of how far she’s come, is the first song to actually give listeners a sense of the woman who was born Amethyst Amelia Kelly in Sydney, Australia and raised in tiny, rural Mullumbimby (population: 3,129). She scrubbed floors with her mom to fund a trip at age 16 to Miami, from which she’s never really returned.

Conway’s studios are set back from the street with gates and a lush tropical garden that big-name artists like Mary J. Blige (reportedly also doing a session this day) can hide behind, but Iggy isn’t dodging anyone or any topic, be it the complicated role that race plays in her career, her struggles with record companies, or her relationships with A$AP Rocky and Nas. She’s opinionated and unapologetic, so either you’re “on her sheeeeit” too or you can fuck off.

COMPLEX: “Work” gave listeners a little taste of the red dirt and back lanes of Mullumbimby. What else can you tell us about your hometown?
IGGY AZALEA: There’s one of everything: one hairdresser, one supermarket, one florist, one bakery. You know everybody that’s owned the stores and they’ve owned them for generations. The population’s 3,000 but it seems smaller because most people live in the hills. They’ll come down to the supermarket to get food and that’s the only time you’re hanging around or seeing people. My dad’s a surfer. My mother had me when she and my dad were 19. They were hippies and built their own house. They wanted to do self-sustained living. My parents split up when I was 8 or 9 and my mom got a teaching degree and would clean houses and substitute teach. That made her a bit more straight up and down.

What do kids do for fun in Mullumbimby?
If you don’t play sport, you probably get stoned all the time. In elementary, we called the kids that liked rap and smoked “The Homies” or “FUBUs” and the surfers “The Surfies.” They had brawls that the police would break up, and that was the biggest thing in my town at the time, to fight with kids from other towns.

What sort of trouble did you get into as a kid?
When I was 13 I got a fake ID. I’d go out, get hammered off my face in nightclubs because I thought that made me an adult, meet older guys who thought I was older, and go fuck them. I’d do that all the time. Hitchhiking was something I would do all the time as a kid. When I was 14 I used to go to the red light district called Kings Cross and go to strip clubs.

We would hang out there so late that the train would stop working, and then we would walk back into the city on the sides of the road, three or four drunk 14-year-old girls with fake IDs. One time, after going to a nightclub with my friend, a guy followed us through all the carriages. Every station, we’d get out and switch a carriage and he would find the carriage we were in. When we got to the station in Sydney he started to chase us and was like, “Come here, you little sluts!” We ran and locked ourselves in the disabled bathroom and we stayed in there for like four hours until the sun came up and people were out for work again. That’s the only time I’ve ever felt scared doing something dumb.

You’ve described the people of Mullumbimby as ignorant. How so?
My friend Roland, a breakdancer from Sydney who is black and had cornrows, was walking down the street with me and one of the kids around my age screamed out the car, “What up, nigga! Yo! Yo! Rap music!” They thought it was hilarious. I was like, “I’m so embarrassed that I’m from here.”

What was the racial makeup of Mullumbimby?
One of my best friends growing up was half Aboriginal, and I’d be around them a lot, but there was not a lot of diversity. It’s very white­—a few Aboriginal kids, a few Asian kids, some Indian kids, and that’s it. The neighboring town Lismore was much more diverse because they had a refugee program where all the Sudanese refugees went, but it’s a much bigger city. They probably have 10,000 people. When I got into rap music and wanted to go do cyphers or open mics, that’s where I would take the bus. There were a lot of African kids who wanted to rap and breakdance and shit.

Race has been an issue since you first got noticed as the tall blonde who rapped. Did you understand that some people in the U.S. would think you were fake?
Yeah, but it’s retarded. The Rolling Stones go to America, play “black” blues music, and nobody has a fucking issue with it or thinks it’s weird. But here we are, 50 years later, in the 21st century, and people are like, “This is so weird that you’re white, from another country, and you like black music.” Why is it not weird for Keith Richards or Mick Jagger, but it’s so weird and taboo for me? Do you think a kid liking my music is gonna make rap music some other thing, or that all of a sudden nobody’s gonna like Scarface?

In a country where “speaking black” has been a hindrance in almost every profession but rap, do you see how a white person making money in rap by adopting this accent could ruffle feathers?
If you’re mad about it and you’re a black person then start a rap career and give it a go, too. I’m not taking anyone’s spot, so make yourself a mixtape. Or maybe if you’re black, start singing like a country singer and be a white person. I don’t know. Why is it such a big deal? This is the entertainment industry. It’s not politics. You should be more concerned about the message, not the voices saying it.

If you’re mad about [me rapping] and you’re a black person then start a rap career and give it a go, too. I’m not taking anyone’s spot, so make yourself a mixtape. Or maybe if you’re black, start singing like a country singer and be a white person. I don’t know. Why is it such a big deal?

Have you ever rapped with your Australian accent?
Never. It feels weird to me. It’s the inflection at the end of a sentence when I take a breath. Obviously there are people who rap in all kinds of accents. But for me, rapping is like singing: The breath patterns aren’t the same as when I’m talking, so it’s easier to change into whatever I want. I couldn’t talk in an American accent—I could, but it would sound very fake—but I can rap in one with no problem.

You were asked on Hot 97 if you’re an imposter, and you said, “Maybe I am.” Your friend and mentor T.I. immediately chimed in, “Nah. We don’t do those. She’s certified.”
Tip doesn’t ever get asked about it or have to think about it. What’s real? What’s fake? Of course I’ve asked myself, “Does that make me fake?” I don’t think the voice makes me fake; it makes me an artist. Voice is my medium. I should have creative rein to do whatever the fuck I want with it. For Tip, the word imposter seems like “she’s a mole, she’s a snake.” I look at words for what they mean. You seem to feel I’m imposing on you with what I’m doing, so maybe I am essentially an imposter. I don’t know, I think about things in a different way. A lot of people in the industry like to have any excuse in the world to throw a grenade at me.

Why do you say that?
Because I know it. Some people are supposed to be on your side and they’re not. Sometimes it’s not even that they’re against you, it’s that they don’t give a fuck about you and they just want a promotion. I can’t ever say to anyone, “You’re doing a shit job” because then they’ll tell everyone I’m crazy. I don’t go into detail or name names because it doesn’t help my cause. I know stuff is going on but I have to bite my tongue and keep pushing. I have a mental “fuck you” list of so many people that I know want to see me fail. I’m not going to say “fuck you” now but please believe if I ever get very successful, I will come to your house and come through your window. I wish I could suffocate them with a pillow, slowly.

What’s the biggest fight you’ve had since signing to a major label?
I have to fight about visuals all the time because they don’t understand why I would be sexual in some contexts but not in others. They’ll say, “But you twerked in ‘Work’ and had your ass out, so why won’t you show your butt in this magazine?” I went topless in my new video for “Change Your Life.” I painted my nipples red and I know that will fuck them up. I don’t consider it exploiting myself because everything I do is conceptual. It’s not just tits out for tits out. I consider it art. I’m only ever in a state of undress if it’s for my own project. I would never do it for your magazine because it doesn’t empower me to be naked in your magazine. [Ed. Note—except in Complex!]

What was the most challenging point in your career thus far?
The lowest point was the day I didn’t take my deal with Interscope. I’d broken up with my boyfriend the day before. Because I’m a sicko, I was still at his house, in his bed. He wasn’t there, and I was on the phone, saying I’m not taking the deal. Everybody thinks I’m a lunatic and I’m sitting there crying, like, What the fuck am I going to do? I have no deal. My management’s not on my side, and I have no boyfriend.

Having been in a public relationship with Rocky, would you ever date someone publicly again?
No. I’d date somebody in the industry again, but the number one thing I regret saying publicly is that I fucking loved Rakim [A$AP Rocky]. These are the things that happen when you say you love somebody in the media: Every person that person’s ever had sex with, who would still like to have sex with them, will say what a lame bitch you are. Every person who’s ever had sex with me, who wants to have sex with me still, will say how wack the guy is. Then, everybody who has an ulterior motive business-wise is gonna come at us and tell us every reason why we shouldn’t fuck with each other. Little seeds get planted. “Does she really love you? Did she say that because she’s using you for attention? You should be dating a black girl.” Blogs do voting polls: “Do you think they’re a good couple or not?” I fucking hated that. It’s not a song. It’s a relationship, and you’re not in it, by the way. It’s so sick to me. Also, you can never go out because people will take pictures of you or talk about what you’re doing, or if you’re having a fight. You’ll never be able to enjoy yourself in the capacity of a normal fucking human being ever again.

The number one thing I regret saying publicly is that I loved Rakim [A$AP Rocky]. When you say you love somebody in the media, every person that person’s ever had sex with, who would still like to have sex with them, will say what a lame b*tch you are.

How badly did things end with you and Rocky?
I definitely hated his guts and he hated my guts for a few months. [Laughs.] It was a legit “Fuck you!” “Fuck you!” peace out. But once you’ve had a few months to look at things in retrospect you realize maybe you don’t hate that person, you hate whatever caused the breakup, and you both failed in the relationship. I don’t call him up and have conversations and I wouldn’t say Rocky is my friend, but there are times I’ve congratulated him on things he’s achieved and he occasionally congratulates me on shit that he’s proud of. We’re cordial and I respect him, but there’s a separation.

Have you ever regretted getting your A$AP tattoo?
I’ve never regretted it. I fucking loved him. I know he loved me, too. I felt like he was somebody I could count on who loved me for being me, and I don’t want to forget that. I would sacrifice a quarter of a pinky for those memories. That’s why I didn’t cross it out all the way, because if I’d covered it up all the way, that says I’m embarrassed. You shouldn’t be ashamed of the trials of becoming an adult. I wanted people to know I’m free for more possible love interests, but also not ashamed.

Do people have the same affinity for your curvaceous body type in Australia as they do here?
I feel more adored in this country, for sure. In Australia they’re big on having a tan and an athletic body type. I used to have a tan, but my family always had skin cancer. When I hit 15, and my grandfather started to get a lot of shit chopped off his face and scooped out of his body, I was like, “Oh, shit, everyone in my family older than 50 has skin cancer! Maybe I should stop rubbing baby oil all over myself and laying in the sun after school.” It was beaten in my head since I was a kid: “You should be as brown as you can be; it’s healthy to look brown.” When I moved to Miami, I wanted to look like a Spanish girl so bad because guys would only talk to you if you were tan and had curly brown hair.

Seriously? Guys wouldn’t talk to you in Miami?
Well, they did once I started to have a fake tan. But then I realized that shit sucks. It makes your bed sheets brown, you can’t buy any nice clothes because the underarms will be ruined forever, and when you’re having sex and get sweaty, you smell like fake tan, which stinks like shit.

You’ve been fortunate to be around veterans like T.I. at Grand Hustle Records and Nas, who you toured with. What are the greatest lessons they’ve taught you?
Nas encourages me to take risks. He’s made me be less afraid and even more unapologetic. Even with “Bounce,” I was like, “It’s a pop record. I don’t know.” He was like, “Just fucking do it. It’s something different. It’s one song, what’s the big deal?” I couldn’t believe Nas was telling me to do a hip-pop record. The thing that I learned from both of them is to be unaffected by everything. There were a lot of sad days in that studio, and T.I. would be like, “Look, shawty...” and give me a spiel about how he went to prison and if something’s not going to send you to prison or kill you, you shouldn’t worry about it. Career-wise, I used to compete with certain other people I had issues with. He sat me down and said, “You run your own race, like you’re a horse and you have blinders on. Don’t look at who’s on either side of you or who’s coming up.” That’s helped me a lot because even last year a lot of people would have chalked me up and said I was a wrap. I sometimes feel like I’m the turtle and other people are the hare. They win their race and finish or burn out and I just slowly run my own race. It works out in the end.

'The Voice' declares a Season 6 winner

Bill Keveney, USA TODAY 11:20 p.m. EDT May 20, 2014

(Photo: Tyler Golden, NBC)

Spoiler alert: Please stop here if you don't want to know who won The Voice.

The Voice revealed its sixth champion Tuesday.

Josh Kaufman, 38, of Indianapolis triumphed in the viewer vote over two other singers who made it to the two-hour finale of the NBC singing competition: Christina Grimmie, 20, of Marlton, N.J., and Jake Worthington, 18, of La Porte, Texas. Worthington finished second.

Kaufman, a member of Team Usher, is an SAT tutor and married father of three. It was Usher's first coaching victory, breaking a string of wins by coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton since the series began.

Kaufman's family joined him on stage as the show ended. "I can't even talk," he told host Carson Daly just after his victory was announced. "I'm overwhelmed, surprised, happy, relieved."

The Emmy-winning show tossed out some votes tallied by downloads because of a glitch, but Daly said it did not change the overall outcome.

OneRepublic opened Tuesday's splashy finale. Other performers included Coldplay, Tim McGraw, and Ed Sheeran. Sheeran also sang with Grimmie, Kaufman did a duet with Robin Thicke and Worthington performed with Alabama.

Levine and Shelton, who have been on every edition of The Voice, will be back for Season 7 in the fall with newcomers Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams. They said a temporary goodbye Tuesday to Season 6 panelists Shakira and Usher.

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[Edited 5/20/14 21:08pm]

May 21, 2014 11:00 AM ET

Jack White on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Mark Seliger

Few outsiders have ever been able to penetrate Jack White's private world. But in the new issue of Rolling Stone (on stands Friday), contributing editor Jonah Weiner gets a one-on-one furniture-upholstering lesson from the 38-year-old musician in his Nashville workshop — and captures a very rare glimpse into the mysterious life of rock & roll's Willy Wonka.

On the eve of the release of his second solo album, Lazaretto (hear an exclusive premiere of the album's pounding blues track "Just One Drink" here), White speaks candidly about Meg White, opens up about his children and fatherhood, gripes about his alleged "women problem" and much more. Here are five highlights from the interview:

Lazaretto's lyrics were inspired by his teenage years.
A few years ago, Jack found a box of plays and short stories he'd written at 19, when he dropped out of Wayne State University. He calls this work "mediocre" but used phrases and characters in the album's songs. "It was a way of stimulating me," he says. "What if I talk to my younger self and work together with him?"

White's relentlessly critical nature has led him to compare himself to a very famous curmudgeon.
"I'm very much like Larry David in my everyday," he says. "Complaining about, you know, why they make shoelaces so much longer than they need to be." White says if he's in a social situation where someone tells an offensive joke, "I'll be the only one to laugh, just to ease the tension in the room."

He's a fan of more popular music — including Kanye West — than most fans would imagine.
White calls Daft Punk "amazing" and reveals he worked on several unfinished tracks with Jay Z ("I'm not sure he liked them"). Kanye West also asked him to collaborate on Yeezus, but never followed up — which bummed White out because he was so blown away by the MC's arena tour last year. "That might have been the greatest show I've seen in my life," he says. "It was more punk, more in-your-face than anything I've seen."

White says he's figured out why crowds at concerts can suck nowadays.
"People can't clap anymore, because they've got a fucking texting thing in their fucking hand, and probably a drink, too!" he says. "Some musicians don't care about this stuff, but I let the crowd tell me what to do. There's no set list. I'm not just saying the same things I said in Cleveland last night. If they can't give me that energy back? Maybe I'm wasting my time."

White has a message for the female journalist who wrote he has a "Women Problem" in the Atlantic in 2012, accusing him of having retrograde attitudes regarding gender.
"I've worked with more women than anyone you'll ever meet," he says, adding there's a difference between the narrators of his songs and his own beliefs. Referring to Lazaretto opener "Three Women," which references digital photography, he adds, "If you know anything about me, do you think I like digital photography? No. I don't. So obviously this song is not about fucking Jack White, so fuck you! If you're that chick who wrote that article — and I say chick on purpose — she won't understand that line, because she doesn't do her research."

Also in the issue: Bill McKibben on a massive upcoming climate march in New York City; Josh Eells on the last Bee Gee, Barry Gibb; David Kushner on the Vine superstars who sparked a real-life romance — until things went horribly wrong; Andy Greene on how Ariana Grande made the song of the summer; Brian Hiatt on the origins of the X-Men; Peter Travers on the return of Godzilla; and much more.

Look for the issue on stands and in the iTunes App Store this Friday, May 23rd.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jack-whites-private-world-inside-rolling-stones-new-issue-20140521#ixzz32KyL8obw

Enjoying reading these articles like a magazine, especially Iggy Azalea's interview.

Glad you're enjoying this thread Cinny.

Bon Jovi Celebrates 30 Years With Reissue Campaign

The band will reissue its 1988 classic, New Jersey, on July 1.

Sante D'Orazio

Bon Jovi will celebrate 30 years of rock and roll with a major catalog reissue campaign kicking off July 1.

The first record reissued will be the band's 1988 album, "New Jersey", which will be available as a remastered single disc reissue, a two-disc deluxe edition, and a super deluxe edition with a DVD, according to RollingStone.com.

Included in the package are three bonus cuts originally released as B-sides, as well as 13 unreleased demos, and a 32-page booklet with commentary and rare photographs from the New Jersey recording sessions and subsequent tour. The super deluxe edition will feature a 60-page softcover book and the behind-the-scenes documentary, Access All Areas: A Rock & Roll Odyssey, which includes footage of the New Jersey World Tour, including the band's show at Lenin Stadium in Moscow. The footage as well as seven music videos, initially released in 1990 on VHS, will be available for the first time on DVD.

Bon Jovi recently won the top touring award at the Billboard Music Awards. Their song, "Lay Your Hands On Me," was recently covered by Dolly Parton on her new album, 'Blue Smoke", which debuted in the No. 2 position on the Billboard Country Albums chart and No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

The group plans more reissues later this year.

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Michael Ochs Archvie

Morrison and Manzarek, acquaintances from the UCLA Graduate School of Film, conceived the group at a 1965 meeting on a Southern California beach. After Morrison recited one of his poems, "Moonlight Drive," Manzarek — who had studied classical piano as a child and played in Rick and the Ravens, a UCLA blues band — suggested they collaborate on songs. Manzarek's brothers, Rick and Jim, served as guitarists until Manzarek met John Densmore, who brought in Robby Krieger; both had been members of the Psychedelic Rangers. Morrison christened the band the Doors, from William Blake via Aldous Huxley's book on mescaline, The Doors of Perception.

The Doors soon recorded a demo tape, and in the summer of 1966 they began working as the house band at the Whisky-a-Go-Go, a gig that ended four months later when they were fired for performing the explicitly Oedipal "The End," one of Morrison's many songs that included dramatic recitations. By then Jac Holzman of Elektra Records had been convinced by Arthur Lee of Love to sign the band.

An edited version of Krieger's "Light My Fire" from the Doors' debut album (Number Two, 1967) became a Number One hit in 1967, while "progressive" FM radio played (and analyzed) "The End." The band's two sides came to a head during their 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan show when Morrison kept the word "higher" in the lyrics to "Light My Fire" despite the show's request to remove it (whether it was intentional or not remains up to debate). Sullivan banned them from making future appearances.

Morrison's image as the embodiment of dark psychological impulses was established quickly, even as he was being featured in such teen magazines as 16. Strange Days (Number Three, 1967) and Waiting for the Sun (Number One, 1968) both included hit singles and became best-selling albums. Waiting for the Sun also marked the first appearance of Morrison's mythic alter ego, the Lizard King, in a poem printed inside the record jacket entitled "The Celebration of the Lizard King." Though part of the poem was used as lyrics for "Not to Touch the Earth," a complete "Celebration" didn't appear on record until Absolutely Live (Number Eight, 1970).

It was impossible to tell whether Morrison's Lizard King persona was a parody of a pop star or simply inspired exhibitionism, but it earned him considerable notoriety. In December 1967 he was arrested for public obscenity at a concert in New Haven, and in August 1968 he was arrested for disorderly conduct aboard an airplane en route to Phoenix. Not until his March 1969 arrest in Miami for exhibiting "lewd and lascivious behavior by exposing his private parts and by simulating masturbation and oral copulation" onstage did Morrison's behavior adversely affect the band. Court proceedings kept the singer in Miami most of the year although the prosecution could produce neither eyewitnesses nor photos of Morrison performing the acts. Charges were dropped, but public furor (which inspired a short-lived Rally for Decency movement), concert promoters' fear of similar incidents, and Morrison's own mixed feelings about celebrity resulted in erratic concert schedules thereafter.

The Soft Parade (Number Six, 1969), far more elaborately produced than the Doors' other albums, met with a mixed reception from fans, but it too had a Number Three hit single, "Touch Me." Morrison began to devote more attention to projects outside the band: writing poetry, collaborating on a screenplay with poet Michael McClure, and directing a film, A Feast of Friends (he had also made films to accompany "Break On Through" and the 1968 single "The Unknown Soldier"). Simon & Schuster published The Lords and the New Creatures in 1971; an earlier book, An American Prayer, was privately printed in 1970 but not made widely available until 1978, when the surviving Doors regrouped and set Morrison's recitation of the poem to music.

In 1989 Wilderness: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison was published. Although Morrison expressed to friends and associates his wish to be remembered as a poet, overall his writings have found few fans among critics. By then some felt, especially after "Touch Me," that the band had sold out, and Morrison's dangerous persona was more often ridiculed than not. Critic Lester Bangs once tagged him "Bozo Dionysus."

Soon after L.A. Woman (Number Nine, 1971) was recorded, Morrison took an extended leave of absence from the group. Obviously physically and emotionally drained, he moved to Paris, where he hoped to write and where he and his wife, Pamela Courson Morrison, lived in seclusion. He died of heart failure in his bathtub in 1971 at age 27. Partly because news of his death was not made public until days after his burial in Paris' Père-Lachaise cemetery, some still refuse to believe Morrison is dead. His wife, one of the few people who saw Morrison's corpse, died in Hollywood of a heroin overdose on April 25, 1974.

The Doors continued to record throughout 1973 as a trio, but after two albums it seemed they had exhausted the possibilities of a band without a commanding lead singer. Manzarek had hoped to reconstitute the group with Iggy Pop, whose avowed chief influence was Morrison, but plans fell through. After the Doors broke up, Manzarek recorded two solo albums, and one with a short-lived group called Nite City. He produced the first four albums by L.A.'s X, and in 1983 he collaborated with composer Philip Glass on a rock version of Carl Orff's modern cantata, Carmina Burana. Krieger and Densmore formed the Butts Band, which lasted three years and recorded two albums. In 1972 a Doors greatest-hits collection, Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine was released, hit Number 55, and went gold. Krieger released his first solo album in 1981 and toured in 1982.

Ironically, the group's best years began in 1980, nine years after Morrison's death. With the release of the Danny Sugerman–Jerry Hopkins biography of Morrison, No One Here Gets Out Alive, sales of the Doors' music and the already large Jim Morrison cult — spurred by his many admirers and imitators in new-wave bands — grew even more. Record sales for 1980 alone topped all previous figures; as one Rolling Stone line put it: "He's Hot, He's Sexy, He's Dead." And that was just the beginning. The 1983 release of Alive, She Cried, followed by MTV's airing of Doors videos, introduced Morrison and the band to a new generation, and Oliver Stone's 1991 film biography of the group, starring Val Kilmer as Morrison, was a critical and commercial success. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder filled in for Morrison for the Doors' performance at the ceremonies.

The Morrison cult continues to grow, particularly among the young. In 1990 his graffiti-covered headstone was stolen; in 1993, on what would have been his 50th birthday, hundreds of mourners — many not even born before he died — traveled from around the world to pay tribute. Because of the destruction these visitors often wreak on the cemetery during their pilgrimages, many Parisians petitioned to move Morrison's grave when its 30-year lease expired in 2001; French officials, however, opted to leave Morrison's remains in their resting place.

A box set with material chosen by the band was released in 1997. Emphasizing live (the set starts off with the notorious version of "Five to One" recorded at the March '69 Miami concert) and lesser-known tracks ("Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor," a 25-minute free-form jam called "Rock Is Dead"), the four-disc set includes "Orange County Suite," a "Free as a Bird"–style song — i.e., new instrumental tracks were dubbed onto an old Morrison vocal. His vocals were resurrected yet again in 2000, when Fatboy Slim sampled Morrison's reading of "Bird of Prey" for a track on his album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars.

That same year, VH1 taped an episode of its Storytellers series in which the Cult's Ian Astbury, Creed singer Scott Stapp, Stone Temple Pilot's Scott Weiland, Days of the New frontman Travis Meeks, and Perry Farrell took turns covering Doors songs. The singers were backed by the surviving members of the Doors; it was the first time the three had played together since their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The episode aired around the same time Elektra released Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors, which featured Krieger, Manzarek, and Densmore participating in their own tribute album.

Capitalizing on the continual interest in the band, the Doors launched an Internet-based label, Bright Midnight Records, which released The Bright Midnight Sampler at the end of 2000. The Doors Live in Detroit and No One Here Gets Out Alive — a radio interview with the remaining Doors members that originally aired in 1980 — followed in 2001.

In 2002, Manzarek and Krieger formed a new band called The Doors of the 21st Century with Angelo Barbera on bass and Astbury stepping in as Morrison. After Densmore opted out reportedly due to tinnitus and Police drummer Stewart Copeland left due to a broken arm, the new band finally settled on Krieger drummer Ty Dennis.

The following year Densmore, claiming he actually had not been invited to take part in the new band, filed an injunction against Manzarak and Krieger in an attempt to stop them from using the Doors name. Jim Morrison's estate joined him in the suit. In July 2005 they won the injunction and the band changed its name to D21C, and then changed it again to Riders on the Storm. In 2008, the five-year legal battle ended when the California Supreme Court refused to hear Manzarek and Krieger's additional appeals to the $5.2 million fine they were ordered to pay Densmore and Morrison's estate during the 2005 suit.

Manzarek and Krieger continued to tour despite Astbury's 2007 departure to revive The Cult. They replaced him with Brett Scallions, the former frontman of Fuel and began touring as Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors.

Densmore has continued to thwart efforts to license The Doors' music for commercials, including a $15 million offer from Cadillac and a $4 million offer from Apple, Inc. In a 2002 essay for The Nation he wrote that commercial use of the music would violate its original intent. Despite this, the band's music was licensed for use as the soundtrack to an episode of the CBS crime drama Cold Case in February, 2010.

In 2006, the year before the 40th anniversary of the release of the Doors' debut album, Perception, yet another box set of the band's complete studio recordings, appeared. This one included surround-sound versions of some tracks, extra songs and DVDs. In 2007 the Doors received a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Between 2008 and 2009 several more archival LPs were released: Live at the Matrix captures the widely-bootlegged shows the band played at the San Francisco venue prior to "Light My Fire" catapulting them to success. In September 2009, Rhino Records reissued the Doors' records with Jim Morrison on 180-gram. Two months later, the band's final four concerts with Morrison were released as a box set. Nearly a third of the music on the six-disc Live in New York was previously unreleased.

In early 2010, the band's "Riders on the Storm" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 2010 will also see the limited release of a new Tom DiCillo-directed documentary about the band, When You're Strange: A Film About the Doors, featuring previously unseen footage and narrated by Johnny Depp. An accompanying soundtrack will pair studio versions of the band's songs with iconic live renditions.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-doors/biography#ixzz32M7STKly

Tonight!!!

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Hugh Jackman; Jimmy Page. Also: Barry Gibb performs; the winner of "The Voice" sits in with the Roots.

Madonna and Katy Perry Pose Provocatively in Leather Outfits for V Magazine: Sexy Pictures

Celebrity Style May. 21, 2014 AT 6:00AM By Esther Lee

Cover girls Katy Perry and Madonna pose provocatively in leather outfits for V Magazine's Summer 2014 issue. Credit: Steven Klein

It's a Material Girl match made in heaven! V Magazine exclusively reveals its Summer 2014 issue to Us Weekly, featuring cover girls Madonna and Katy Perry. "Birthday" singer Perry previewed the new spread via Instagram on Monday, May 19. "Mmmmm my baby's got a secret," she wrote, alongside a pic of herself crawling on a floor and reaching for a mysterious figure's stiletto.

PHOTOS: Stars go nearly n...ine covers

On the racy cover, Perry, 29, straddles Madonna—seated with her legs spread open—from behind. The pop singers are both clad in skimpy leather outfits as they pose provocatively for photographer Steven Klein. According to Madonna, 55, wild images like these are for the sake of art!

"I would always say, 'Dad, I'm an artist, I have to express myself. You don't understand,'" Madonna reasoned to V Mag. "I think he's finally come to terms with it. It's only taken 30 years," the "Like a Virgin" singer mused. "He's like, 'Do you have to simulate masturbation on the bed? Do you have to?' 'Yes, Dad, I do.'"

PHOTOS: Biggest magazine ...f all time

Perry, the daughter of Pentecostal pastor parents, said she has yet to pull a Miley Cyrus, referring to the Bangerz hitmaker's (ahem, intimate) "Adore" music video. "I haven't gone that far yet," Perry told V mag, while adding to Madonna, "but maybe under your great mentorship I might reach that point."

The stars are equally sexy in the magazine's accompanying spread, which was styled by Arianne Phillips. In a separate exclusive preview pic from the shoot, Perry wears a corseted bodycon dress and sultry black leggings. The "Dark Horse" singer holds a rope binding Madonna's hands, while the queen of pop is splayed across a leather couch.

Credit: Steven Klein

PHOTOS: Madonna's crazies...roversies!

"I was sore in my upper body and in my butt area from all that squatting," Perry said of her shoot with the pop icon. Madonna quipped, "It's good to be sore in your butt. My neck is sore from that wonderful moment when I was sucking on your heel."

Perry, luckily, was open to the personal contact, even with her OCD tendencies (which she revealed to Us in her "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" last fall. "Im so OCD that I want those letters in alphabetical order," Perry told V Mag. "C-D-O would be my preference."

PHOTOS: Katy Perry's colo...ideo looks

Both stars really seemed to enjoy collaborating together on the magazine cover. "I really enjoyed working with you on the photo shoot," Madonna told Perry. "People always expect when two divas get together that there might be weird vibes or a strange competitiveness, but this was nice and easy and fun."

California native Perry added, "If you ever come to the show, there's a little wink to you. I'm paying my dues!"

The Summer 2014 issue of V Magazine hits newsstands on Memorial Day. Tell Us: What do you think of Madonna and Katy's racy cover?

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-style/news/madonna-katy-perry-v-magazine-cover-pop-stars-provocative-pictures-2014215#ixzz32VfvZ43m

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Lifetime Sets Whitney Houston Movie, Angela Bassett to Direct

The original telepic "Whitney Houston" focuses on the late singer's tumultuous relationship with Bobby Brown.

AP Images

Angela Bassett

Lifetime is making a Whitney Houston movie and has tapped an Oscar nominee to direct it.

Angela Bassett will make her directorial debut on the original movie, currently titled Whitney Houston.

Slated for a 2015 premiere, Whitney Houston will chronicle the relationship between the late singer and Bobby Brown, from the time they first met and the height of their celebrity to their courtship and tumultuous marriage.

“I have such regard for both Whitney’s and Bobby’s amazing talents and accomplishments, and I feel a responsibility in the telling of their story,” said Bassett. “Their humanity and bond fascinates us all. I’m beyond excited to have this opportunity to go behind the camera and into their world.”

Whitney Houston will be produced by the Sanitsky Company. Larry Sanitsky will serve as executive producer. Shem Bitterman penned the script.

PHOTOS: Iconic Singer Whitney Houston's Life and Career in Pictures

The telepic continues Bassett's relationship with Lifetime following last year's Betty & Coretta original movie, which told the real-life stories of Coretta Scott King (Bassett) and Dr. Betty Shabazz (Mary J. Blige), wives of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. For her role, Bassett was nominated for a SAG Award as well as a NAACP Image Award.

Following Houston's death on Feb. 12, 2012, at 48, Lifetime aired 14-episode docuseries The Houstons: On Our Own chronicling the lives of her family members -- including daughter Bobbi Kristina -- as they attempted to move on from her death.